Being M.O.M

Being a mom of two (disclaimer! meri twacha se meri umar ka pata hi nahi chalta) it was an obvious choice to start writing on the topic mom and probably how I felt being one. Most of you, by now might be thinking that this is yet another mom blog where she will simply be discussing about her triumphs and her victories and her challenges as a mom, so on so forth. What’s new? It could not have gotten more cliched than that, and I told myself – WAIT and THINK!!!

So, I waited and thought, that it’s not just about me being a mom and my experiences, but something deeper and more. I  sought help of my fingers and went to the mom of all sources. Being a self confessed (not a good writer, but) great thinker (pun intended), I did a random search on Google baba for the keyword MOM. I found 5 full forms of the word and a subscrpit saying 20 more rows. As I dug into some of those I realized,  directly or indirectly, how each meaning described one or the other qualities of a mom – both literally and figuratively.

The one that topped the list was Microsoft Operations Manager. Dang it hit the bell – how a mom is so soft at heart, operating 24*7*365 in our lives and don’t even get me into her managerial skills. And then there is a reason why the motherboard (in a computer) is called a motherboard.

The next two listed were Man on a Mission and Minutes of Meeting. Whichever time zone of world or life we are in, moms are always on a ‘mission’ of keeping tab on her child’s minutes and their meetings. Being from a Punjabi household I have quite a “Kirron Kher” type mom (add  in-law to it as well) and an equally utterly butterly delicious cum dedicated BADI mom (my dadi). Their constant thought in mind is “kahan hai?”, “kaisi hai?”, “khaana khaaya?”, “kitne baje aayegi?”, “kiske saath hai?”. Gosh it almost sounds like those K-klan soaps. I remember once (of the many instances) calling my dadi from my school PCO to update her about my excessive period pain and flow. Also, my sister not very fondly remembers one of those times when my mom tracked her down at the Dharamsila Cancer Hospital where she was doing her internship. She missed a few calls while she was on a round and the next thing she remembers her name being called on the announcement speaker, because mommy dearest chose to call the hospital reception.

What caught my eye next was Milk of Magnesia and I had this vivid image of Aruna Irani from “doodh ka karz” and Sunny paaji’s voice blaring in my ears – “maa ka doodh peeya toh saamne aa”. And then I look at my three month old and recall how everyone these days keeps asking me, “So how do you feel being of mom of 2?”. I sheepishly say, “same as a milking cow”. I wonder if I would ever be giving “mere doodh ka vaaasta” to  my sons twenty years down the lane, for getting most of my motherly demands fulfilled from them. Mothers and milk are so intertwined.

Our history, geography, science, literature even maths cannot do without moms. Quotes like “God could not be every where so he created mother” to “Necessity is the mother of invention” are quite a testimony to it. We are taught to take care  of Mother Earth and  be patriotic towards our Motherland. Mathematics takes inspiration from mothers and teaches us that for every problem there is a solution- though some may not be as simple as mom. The world still bows down to the Queen Mother. So much so, in the Indian context, ISRO only trusted a MOM to reach out to Mars.

The next MOM that strikes in the list is Mercy On Me, a song by Christina Aguilera.  It’s lyrics are almost like an english”daata (maata) ki bhent” where she writes to seek mercy from the lord for her sins. I feel moms are the only beings who are forever ready to prosecute you for your mistakes. When you beg for mercy, she comes in your defense in the highest order of court, but ironically she is only the supreme judge there. And then when she declares your sentence, she curses herself for your misdeeds.

 

Just like all good things come in small packages, mom being a 3-letter word, has so much to it. You start from one place and end being somewhere completely elsewhere.

My Oh My! If I start to decode the Mysteries Of Moms, they are a Mountain Of Manpower,our personal Mentors On the Move who are Manager Of Managers Managing Our Messes while being Masters Of Multitasking, making sure we shine like the Man Of the Match in every inning of our life. They are simply Made Of Magic.